Ex Nihilo
by anemoia
Summary: He came from the darkness; not quite human, not quite spirit, but ravenous for power. Revised
1. Creatio Ex Nihilo

**A/N: **_Ok so heres a revision of the story so far. There aren't many changes in this chapter but there are in later chapers. I plan to post the next chapter very soon._

* * *

He existed as part of the ancient darkness beyond the gate, reveling in the vast cosmic knowledge that lay there. He existed as one being with the darkness and pulled those who would dare tread in this domain, the domain of god, through. Unaware, this monotony was life since the beginning, until he was pulled from his calignositic completeness and thrust into a new life.

It was during this inception that he first encountered it; the ethereal energy that existed past the darkness. It was light, intangible, and flowed freely overall in a domain out of his reach. He tasted its power, its potential, for just a brief, fleeting moment and it was the evanescence of that confrontation that drove him.

The unfortunate thing about his creation was that he was confined to a flask in a world full of beings that seemed to be living paradoxes. These beings, humans, as he'd come to know them as, were ignorant of the enlightenment on the other side of the gate, as such they were easy to manipulate.

He quickly took a human under his wing. Slave 23 was what he was called and as he soon found out, the one other living creature with whom he shared a bond of a blood. For that he was grateful. It was that slave's blood that pulled him from the gate, that allowed him to experience that inexorable power so he granted him three things, a name, knowledge of alchemy, and ultimately, immortal life.

Soon after that he began to formulate his plan to obtain that celestial energy. It took hundreds of years but he finally reached it, his final act. The human he named, Van Hohenhiem, unfortunately, proved not to be an ally but a formidable opponent, despite all that he gave him. In the end Hohenhiem was ignorant his true plans and this proved to be his downfall.


	2. Infestation

The aftermath of the fight with Unavaatu had left Republic City ruined and derelict. Most, if not all, buildings sustained some sort of physical damage from the battle but it was the vine blight that made entire sectors of the city uninhabitable.

A fine dust hung in the air like a fog giving an eerie look to the overgrown buildings. Despite this Korra never slowed in her mission to rid the city of these insidious vines. Burning, freezing, crushing, nothing seemed to work, they just kept growing back with more force. It seemed like she wasn't getting anywhere.

This was quickly becoming old to Korra so she tried a different approach; investigating further into the spirit wilds. She hoped this would give her a clue as to how to get this infestation under control.

The shadows appeared to grow darker and her spirit sightings became less frequent. A single spirit caught her attention as is hastily fluttered in the direction from which she came. It seemed odd to her, giving her the impression that something was off, but she chalked it up to the events of harmonic convergence. It was such a giant upheaval of... well everything, that the confusion was likely not limited to the physical world.

"I mean you no harm. I'm the Avatar and I just want to get rid of these vines," Korra called out in the naïve hope that a friendly spirit would come along and give her the answer. She waited a moment staying still, as though the less she moved the more her odds of finding that one spirit would increase. When no reply came she let out a groan of defeat and collapsed to the ground sending several small spirits skittering into the wilds.

"Ugh I can't face Raiko yet, not without some progress on this vine issue," Korra said poking at a small vine that had grown along the gap in the cobblestones. It recoiled at her touch before lightly wrapping itself around the tip of her finger.

"Although at this point Raiko is probably the least of my concerns right now. The press is going to tear me apart when they find out that I have no idea what to do." She wiggled her finger a bit, testing the little vine.

"I don't know why you think we should get rid of them," another voice called. Korra spun around to identify this new visitor, pulling her hand out of the grasp of the tiny vine. Jinora; she hadn't even heard her approach. Of course she would be defending them. Jinora had this idea in her head that the people of Republic City could live their lives around the vines. The issue was that they were practically choking this city. Almost all its lifelines, water supply, electricity, transportation, were all stopped or blocked by these vines and the citizens were suffering because of it, because of Korra's actions.

"Jinora I know you think we should leave the vines but they're interfering with people's lives. Huge sections of the city's people have been uprooted and they can go back to their old lives because of them." It was evident that Korra's patience was wearing thin. With almost half of a major world city on her back about "when things would get back to normal" on top of everything that happened during Harmonic Convergence it was a wonder she was holding together at all.

"Korra I know there's a way the spirits like these vines and people can live together... we just haven't found it yet," Jinora trailed off, unsure of herself in the face of Korra's sullen attitude. The past few days had taken a toll on her. Bags had begun to form under her eyes, she didn't seem to hold her shoulders in the same confident way, and her eyes always found their way to the ground. Katara had warned her that she should rest after the way she exerted herself during her battle with Unavaatu but Korra insisted that she needed to leave the South Pole to assist with the clean-up, she was part of these reason the city was so torn up.

"Anyway," Jinora continued, "I came to tell you that my dad wants you back at the temple. He said he wants to talk to you." Letting out a sigh, Korra stood up. Jinora tried not to notice the effort she put into getting up

"Alright let's go," she said turning toward the entrance to the spirit wilds. Her words held a tone of endurance and mild irritation but her body language told a story of exhaustion.

The walk, and subsequent flight, back was quiet and awkward for Jinora but Korra welcomed the silence, she didn't have the energy to argue with Jinora. She didn't want to argue with Jinora at all; she was like a younger sister . The sight of Air Temple Island made her realize just how tired she was. Thought of a stomach full of Pema's cooking, a nice, hot shower, and a warm bed was practically irresistible. The unfortunate thing was that she still needed to talk to Tenzin.

With a swish of air and a twirl of her staff, Korra landed with renewed annoyance and brusquely made her way to the temple, startling a few monks on the way. She pushed the door to the main living quarters open with just a bit more force than was necessary and called Tenzin's name. A disgruntled Tenzin emerged, annoyed that someone would disrupt the peace of his household with such obnoxious yelling. Upon seeing Korra his mood changed to a calmer one. Jinora sensing this was likely an Avatar/mentor bonding session, took her leave.

"Ah, Korra how is the clean-up coming along?" Korra couldn't stop the eye twitch. That was what he wanted? Korra had a long, long day filled with failed attempts and dead ends and Tenzin wanted to hinder her search for a progress report? She could feel the frustration well up inside of her and turn to anger. Korra took in deep breath and let loose.

"YOU CALLED ME ALL THE WAY BACK HERE TO ASK ME THAT? THAT COULDN'T'VE WAITED UNTIL I HAD COME BACK MYSELF? I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING CRITICAL TO REPUBLIC CITY'S RECOVERY AND YOU HAVE TO INTERRUPT ME TO ASK ME A TRIVIAL QUESTION LIKE THAT?"

Tenzin put his hands up in a gesture of surrender in an attempt to stop her diatribe. "Korra, Korra, Korra, please try to calm yourself, you're still recovering."

"CALM MYSELF? HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO CALM MYSELF WHEN ALMOST HALF THE CITY'S BEEN DISPLACED BY THESE STUPID VINES. I CAN'T GET RID OF THEM NO MATTER WHAT I DO THEY JUST KEEP GROWING BACK. WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO TELL RAIKO? THE PRESS? THE PEOPLE OF REPUBLIC CITY? THAT I FAILED IN MY DUTY AS THE AVATAR?" She put much emphasis on the last one. Tenzin knew that failing others had always been a sore spot for Korra. She always wanted help others, sometimes at the cost of her own health.

Korra collapsed into a nearby chair, allowing Tenzin to see just how burnt out she was. Tenzin wanted to just convince her to just let the issue go for today and get her to relax. But Tenzin knew Korra all too well. He knew she wouldn't rest until she at least got a lead, even if I meant running herself ragged.

"Korra you haven't failed in anything. You've merely hit a barricade, a challenge. Getting upset and frustrated, when you take everything on yourself is counterproductive."

"Then what do you suggest," he could hear the desperation in her voice.

"Have you tried entering the spirit world?" Tenzin suggested. That statement blindsided Korra. It never even occurred to her.

"No... No I haven't."

* * *

Korra sat, full lotus, with her hands loosely clasped in her lap in the center of a small pagoda. Said pagoda overlooked Yue Bay and had a tremendous view of Republic City and the damage done to it. Vines coated everything and a cloud of fine debris hung in the air, casting a dismal tone over the entire city.

Luckily Korra's eyes were closed. She was trying, and failing, to level her breathing. Meditation never came easy to Korra. It became easier after she learned to enter the Avatar state, but it was still difficult. In an act of desperation she finally resorted to a simple trick Katara had taught her, to count the seconds in each breath. In for three seconds, out for four, and repeat. She eventually found herself entering that meditative state and slowly but surely the physical world began to melt away.

It was what almost felt like a jolt of electricity that brought her out of her pensive state. Her eyes flicked open to a sea of blues and purples, and before her stood the tree of time. Something was off, that was her first thought when she stood up and took in her surroundings. Something was… wrong. The tree, once worn be the weathering of time, was now marred with black.

The dark patches seeped into, not just the crevices of the tree, but its shadow as well. Its shadow appeared darker and gave off an aura of iniquity. Korra could feel the foreboding, the fear, creeping into her chest.

A third portal sat right on top of the tree of time.

"This is wrong…" she trailed off, flickering out of the spirit world.


	3. Introductions

These sacrifices of his were beginning to test his patience. They had decimated his sanctum with their attempts to stop him and their unwelcome guest, the little girl with the strange alchemy. All were futile as Father had reached his terminus, from here on out, no matter the outcome, the world would never be the same. So Father entertained their triviality for a few more moments since there was someone he was waiting for. He needed to be whole for this.

"I'm done indulging your frivolity," and with that dark tendrils shot out, seizing and pinning each of the five sacrifices. They all struggled fruitlessly against his grasp.

"The energy that you alchemists use, it flows under this planet's surface and you harness it to transmute, but that energy has a limit to it. Only so much can be done with it. Now imagine an entire domain made entirely of useable energy. To possess that energy would be to surpass God."

"Wait! What happen to your plan to swallow god. Are you saying that's what you had intended to do? It won't work a place like that doesn't exist!" Hohenhiem shouted. Father had no interest in explaining further, there were things that needed to be done and, if he survived this, Hohenhiem would see it for himself. Anyways, his visitor was here. From out of the shadows, came a blur rocketing towards Father.

"Wow, pops. Sounds like a pretty good plan. I hope you don't mind me taking for myself!" Greed shouted, slashing at Father with his shield. Father was liquefied, forming a puddle at Greed's feet, his innumerable eyes fading into black. A grin that could only be described as shit-eating, spread across Greed's face.

"Greed, you idiot! He isn't dead! I can still feel him! Did you really think it would be that easy?" The call echoed inside his head. Ling. That little pissant.

"I thought I told you I'd handle this one," Greed hissed back in his mind. Without warning, a mouth formed on the shapeless puddle, smirking.

"Greed I expected you." Without another word, Father reformed around Greed, essentially swallowing him. Not a single sign was given to the sacrifices that GreedLing was alive. There was no resistance. One moment he was there and the next he wasn't.

"Pride, Wrath, its time to rejoin your Father." Bradley emerged from a dark crevice and Pride looked toward Father from his side; they knew this was coming but that didn't necessarily mean they wanted it to happen. They rather enjoyed their existence. In the end their loyalty towards their Father won out and they were unceremoniously swallowed up too.

"Now shall we begin?" Father stated with an air of preeminence.

Dragging his sacrifices to the true center, Father placed his hand on the parchment transmutation circle and the entire room lit up in a bright light display. Like clockwork the sacrifices' gates opened. Father could feel them reaching out to him. Their pull was unmistakable. The immensity of their gates' power was almost overwhelming but he only needed to absorb enough energy to open the planet's portal. Father had almost reached a tipping point when he finally released the energy that he had absorbed and finally started the nationwide transmutation circle. He could feel the flow of energy from the momentous mountains or Briggs to the grassy battlefields of the south. The circle was complete.

The colossal gate of the planet finally showed itself. Assimilating the power of the millions of souls of Amestris, Father forced himself through the gate. He pulled himself further into the depths of the gate until the nothingness began to fade and he felt again what he once felt before, the ethereal, almost celestial, flow of energy… and he reached for it.

The energy reacted with his and exploded outward with a force unparalleled by any natural force, a rebound. This wasn't supposed to happen. No. Father had planned everything too meticulously for this to happen now. If it was going to fail it would've failed earlier on, but not now. It couldn't. He wouldn't let it. This energy would be his.

He tried to force his way further but realized the Philosopher's stone he had created from the souls of Amestris had been ripped from him. It almost didn't matter though as he felt the foreign energy pull him toward it. He didn't remember much after that.

* * *

Korra gasped when she returned to her physical body. She had broken out into a cold sweat which had soaked her shirt and dripped down the sides of her face. She slouched over and put her head in her hands

"Korra, are you alright?" Jinora's concerned voice came from just behind her. Korra felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Korra what did you see?" Tenzin's voiced echoed across the courtyard but she could hear his footsteps growing closer.

"I'm not quite sure…" she said, her voice a bit shaky as it trailed off. She straightened her back and started with a bit more confidence.

"We need take a team to the Tree of Time." Tenzin, who had just arrived at the pagoda, gained a look of shock.

"What?! Why? Korra what happened?" Tenzin was beyond worried. What could've shaken Korra this much?

"It felt like there was something living in the Tree of Time. Like a," she trailed off looking for the right words, "like a parasite. And it had this unfamiliar, dark aura about it… and I think there might be a third portal…" Korra added the last part slowly to gauge their reactions. She feared they wouldn't believe her. She could see Tenzin visibly pale.

"Jinora, do you think that you could meditate into the spirit and see what we're dealing with?"

"That… that shouldn't be a problem," Jinora responded. Tenzin, noticing the betrayal on her face , stopped Korra before she could protest.

"Korra your encounter has left you exhausted, and after your battle with Unavaatu? You need your rest." He said it with the utmost concern and he was. Korra looked like she had put herself through the ringer after her battle then coming back to Republic City so soon after had left her almost completely wiped. He escorted her back to the main temple.

"Jinora, please be careful," Korra called over her shoulder.

"I will," she called back, as she sat down to meditate.

* * *

The first thing that Ed was aware of was the throbbing headache. Sitting up slowly, as not to worsen his current migraine, Ed opened his eyes and took in his surrounds. He was immediately assaulted by a barrage of color so intense he needed to shield his eyes until they adjusted this new backdrop. The bright colors were a stark contrast to Father's dim and sinister lair. Tall grass that had almost a feathery feeling, swayed in a gentle breeze. It looked like he was in a forest clearing. The trees encompassing the clearing seemed to beckon him with their aura of mystery.

He stood up and pinched the bridge of his nose. No, now was not the time to go gallivanting off. He needed to assess his surroundings and then look for the others, or rather see if they made it to… wherever he was. Taking in the environment, he deduced that there were no immediate threats. The place seemed eerily quiet, aside from the rustling of the foliage, until something caught his attention in his peripheral vision.

He clapped his hands together, transmuted his automail hand into a blade, and pointed it at the new threat… only to find it was much smaller than he thought. It was a tiny bird-mouse creature that landed on the tip of his blade. Pulling his hand closer to his face, he noticed that the creature was a pale pink and had long ear-thing which it apparently use to fly with. Long bird like legs grasped at the edge of his blade as a skinny tail with a small poof on the end swayed to keep balance.

Without a warning the creature took off flying toward the tree line. Now Ed was sufficiently mesmerized. He followed it. Moving under branches and in-between trunks to keep up with it until it finally reached another clearing.

In any other situation Ed would have been fascinated by the several odd looking creatures, that likely share some connection to his guide, currently hovering in a group but in was the nearly transparent ghost girl that really held his attention. Trying not to make any assumptions, Ed called out to her.

"Hey, who are you?"


	4. Awakenings

Father was exceptionally weak, it took most of his energy simply to hold his new form upright. Despite this, he was filled with euphoria. He did it. He actually did it. He had finally reached that domain. He felt the natural flow of energy. Like an ocean he felt its tides push and pull, back and forth, as if trying to maintain homeostasis. He felt the energy of life flit and fly around him in the form of various creatures. He felt old, powerful energy ingrained in the ground and its roots which all lead back to a single tree.

The tree's radiating energy almost called out to him. Its gnarled roots and leafless branches made it look almost pitiful though, a sharp contrast to the power it emanated. As he drew nearer to the tree he could tell it contained power that far surpassed any philosopher's stone he ever created. A force, seemingly sentient in nature, reached out to him. It held an aura of darkness but he was familiar with darkness; it almost felt like home.

Distracted by the tree, Father almost didn't realize the rebelling force within him. He quickly identified it as Greed. He could still feel his old body still fully formed within him struggling to get out. Momentarily, he attempted to suppress him, but it was futile as Father was so deprived of energy he didn't need to waste any on this prodigal son of his. Deciding that Greed was more trouble than he was worth, Father reached within his chest and allowed him to escape. Greed hit the ground with an audible thud.

"I have no time to indulge your antics. Leave. Your stone is hardly of any use to me."

Ling wasn't quite sure why this guy was willing to let go of him when he had been so eager to swallow him before, but he didn't stop to dwell on it and took his chance to leave. He scurried out of Father's way, hopped up, and broke into a sprint. He needed to get far away from here before Greed could regain control otherwise he might make another ill-considered attack. He ran for one of the huge spotlights on either side of the giant tree. Each seemed to have energy flowing in and out of them much like a door. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Father guy drawing nearer to that tree and noticed that it had a beam of light also. He felt like there was suddenly a rock in his stomach, some serious shit was about to go down and he had no desire to hang around to watch.

He was hoping beyond all hope that one might take him back to the underside of central and away from whatever this place was. He jumped, entering the pillar of light and came out the other side of it. He was greeted by a face full of snow. Now Ling didn't know much about central but he knew it wasn't snowing when they left. So what he wanted to know was why the hell was there snow everywhere?

* * *

"Hey, who are you?"

Jinora looked up with a start. She'd been trying to ask the various spirits she encountered if they knew anything about the tree of time issue. So far every spirit she came across all said the same thing, that they felt some unknown foreign presence. None knew or said more than that. Fortunately for her the problem came to her in the form of what looked to be a thirteen-year-old boy with golden hair and eyes.

"I'm… Jinora," she said, a bit flustered. "Who are you?" she questioned, adding, "and why are you here?" It was an afterthought she couldn't stop from slipping out. It was the foreign air he carried with him that prompted the thought. He just seemed so out of place.

The boy seemed confused, as if she asked a question he couldn't quite give an answer to. His golden eyes searched the grass looking for an answer. After a brief moment of silence, he responded.

"I'm Ed and I'm not really sure why I'm here," he replied then quietly added, "or where "here" even is." What he hissed under his breath was what caught her attention. He didn't know where he was? This was the _spirit world. _Everyone and their mother could figure out if they were in the spirit world or not.

"Wait you don't know you're in the spirit world?" She stated like it was something Ed should've known. Why would he think he was in "the spirit world"? He didn't even believe in spirits. Skepticism was written clearly on his face so she dropped the topic.

"Never mind, are there any more people like you?" That statement caught his attention. This girl was obviously more familiar with this environment then he was and her ghosty were bound to come in handy. Now was his chance to get some help.

"Actually, yeah there are. Can you help me find them?"

* * *

Al woke to the sight of several odd looking creatures staring curiously at him. Some appeared as though they had more sentience then others, seeing as some looked indistinguishable from inanimate objects. They all varied in size but not one of them was bigger than a cat.

He sat examining the creatures, trying to remember how he got here when it finally flooded his mind, the Promised Day and what Father had said about another domain filled with energy. He quickly stood up, his hulking metal body scaring off the odd creatures which had since lost Al's attention.

Did Father succeed? Was this place that domain he had mentioned? What was this place anyway? Where was it? His mind was overflowing with questions, each leading to another. He needed to stop himself or he was just going to confuse himself. That was the last thing he needed in a foreign environment. He needed to keep his wits about him. He needed to find the others to make sure they were ok, to make sure they made it.

* * *

Izumi had been walking through this swamp for what felted like hours after she had been rudely awakened by a rather large, indescribable creature. It wasn't like anything she had seen before despite its vaguely humanoid shape. It had grabbed her by the leg, lifted her up, and examined her. Her sleep-addled mind hadn't quite registered what was going on yet, but once it did, she began to struggle against its grip. Startled by its subject's sudden consciousness, the creature vanished without a trace, leaving Izumi to fall into the dark waters.

She hadn't seen anything fully since that. It was always the something that flashed momentarily in her peripheral vision. Whatever was out there had the same presence as the original creature, she knew because she could practically feel them watching her.

She quickened her pace. The faster she was out of this swamp the faster she could relax. Pushing branches and vines out of her way, Izumi slogged her way through thigh-high water, occasionally seeing something flit among the tree roots underwater.

It unnerved her the way everything would stare her down from her blind spots. It reminded her of the Briggs' Mountains wolves, the difference laid in their motives. She knew exactly what the wolves were watching her for; the same could not be said for these creatures.

She pushed a curtain of vines out of her way to reveal a dry hammock. The land was a welcome sight despite its denser vegetation. She threw herself down into the dirt, her exhaustion from her hike and her paranoia overcoming her need to continue. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath in and exhaled. The monsters could come get her for all she cared; the only thing she cared about right now was a break. She laid there for a moment, on the verge of sleep, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes flicked open and one hand reached across her body to grab her assailant's arm even before she knew who it was. When she realized who it was she immediately released her iron grip; the girl from Xing, Mei. The sight of a familiar face was relaxing.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you. Are you alright?" Mei waved her hands to dispel any worry while her small cat cowered on her shoulder.

"Oh no, I'm ok, you didn't hurt me," Mei spilled out.

"So you made it too?"

"Well I was in that monster's stomach with you so I must have gotten pulled through too."

"Pulled through…?" Mei noticed Izumi's confusion.

"Yeah, that monster succeeded. We're in a place that's entirely energy."

"What?!" Izumi hadn't thought much about what happened, she hadn't had the time. She was too focused on staying alive in that godforsaken swamp.

"You must not feel it. I'm use to it since alkahestry uses the natural flow of energy to transmute." Now that she mentioned it she could sense those creatures… Ugh she shouldn't be concerning herself with this now. She finally found someone else in this desolate place, now they needed to find the others.

"Do you know if you can use that alkahestry of yours to look for the others?"

"I used it to find you."

"Good then let's find the others."

* * *

Mustang had thought that it was all a dream when he woke, but everything from earlier in the day came crashing back to him like a wave. The reveal of Hughes' killer, the sight of the truth, the loss of his vision, all of the emotional upheaval and physical exertion of the Promised Day had come back to him like a smack to the face. His body was aching with exhaustion.

Opening his eyes really didn't help him much, only verifying what he had hoped was a lie. The initial shock of losing his vision that had paralyzed him so, was beginning to pass. Sitting up, he placed his hands on the ground to get a feel for his surroundings. He was met with sharp, stinging pain. Oh yeah Bradley's gifts, was the thought that crossed his mind. His hands and gloves were sticky with congealing blood. He left the gloves on for fear of further aggravating his wounds.

He tried to push the pain out of his mind. He could feel a hard surface, it wasn't quite smooth but worn; rock, he concluded. Dampness begun to seep into his gloves and the smell of iron that was already present, hung heavier in the air. He tried to ignore it as he shifted his attention to his hearing. Small drips of what he presumed was water, echoed some distance away and from that he was able to deduce that he was in a cave of some sort.

He knew not just in his gut that this place wasn't the inner sanctum of the head homunculus, but in the way the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. It felt like static electricity in the air and the sense of foreboding ho got in the homunculus' cavern.

Speaking of which, where were the others? The four other sacrifices that were with him, they had to be near.

"Fullmetal," he called out, only to be met with the sound of his own voice echoing back to him. "Alphonse," he tried again. No reply. Standing up, he was able to gauge the direction of the cave's entrance by the sound of his own movements; it was only a few feet away. This was going to be difficult to find them, alone, blind, and in an unfamiliar place. But he only had two choices, stay or go, and neither were particularly appealing. So he chose to go.


	5. Interlude

**A/N:** _Ok so I apologize for the lateness and quality of this chapter, it was extremely hard to crank out. I've been extremely busy with the school year wrapping up. I neglected to thank SRL541 for the advice and also being my first reviewer. Thank you to those who have followed and favorited my story it means a lot. Don't expect the next chapter to come quickly.  
_

* * *

The first thing that hit Sergeant Fuery, was the all-encompassing ache that reached deep into the very center of his being. It snaked its way from his limbs into his core, seating itself in his heart. It felt like he had been trapped in a hurricane of anguish and agony. As pathetic as is seemed, he wanted to lay there on the floor and just vegetate. He let out a pitiful moan as he pushed himself into a sitting position, heavily relying on the wall behind him to keep him up.

He opened his eyes to a blurry mess of colors and vaguely identifiable shapes; he lost his glasses. His vision went to the ground as he tried to find them, only to be met with a tap on the shoulder and his glasses shoved in his face. Following the hand that tapped him up to its owner, he noticed slightly disheveled black hair and a trademark mole beneath their right eye; Maria Ross. He quickly put his glasses on, noting the thin crack that made its way through his left lens, and took her outstretched hand.

"Are you alright?" She asked, helping to his feet. "You were out for a while, last to wake actually. And it looks like you took a hit when you fell." She motioned to her nose and he did the same. He felt crusted, dried… blood. Tracing from the tip of his nose, he began to feel the tenderness of the cartilage and winced.

"I think it's broken," he said with shock.

"Yeah I wouldn't doubt it," She responded, reaffirming his statement. "That's a pretty nice bruise you've got there."

"Hey sleeping beauty, glad to know you're awake," Breda's rather nonchalant voice met his ears. He continued in a more serious tone. "I need something of you. We've lost radio contact with our forces in Central. I need you and Ross to reestablish contact with them and, if possible, get in contact with the Brigg's forces as well."

"Alright, I can do that." He left out the salute, knowing how much the second lieutenant hated formalities.

"Take this radio with you, it's the only one we have left that works, and contact the station if you need anything. Now get going." Both Fuery and Ross nodded as Fuery took the radio. Fuery wanted to leave that room as soon as possible, the tension in that room was starting to get to him.

* * *

The central forces that had been stationed outside were disorganized and disorientated. A few were still collapsed on the ground, others were sitting down, leaning on their rifles, and the rest had a dazed look to them, confused as to what they were supposed to be doing. What looked like the commanding officer of the mission was huddled with another soldier over a radio trying to make contact with their counterparts. Fuery and Ross managed to slip through the confusion without being stopped.

They hurried through the ruined streets of Central City, ducking into alleyways and behind rubble to dodge central forces. It seemed unnecessary since most of them weren't really doing much. Fuery chalked it up to the failed transmutation that had made everyone pass out. That had really messed with everyone's head, his included.

There was a tacit understanding that he picked up on when he awoke not to speak of it but he couldn't stop thinking about it since he felt it. The sense of anguish that he felt, he thought it was a dream but after the colonel had told them about the nationwide transmutation circle, he was more inclined to think that the senior staff and this Father guy had succeeded, if only momentarily, in creating that philosopher's stone. If they succeeded what else had happened? He could only imagine.

Luckily he wasn't left long to his thoughts as they were quickly coming upon central command. It was shrouded in a blanket of fine debris making it seemed desolate but that feeling was countered by the bright light that was emanating from the edifice. Fuery would've assumed that it was the various spotlights that dotted the structure at night, the problem was those were many and this was a single light. What the hell was that?

Last report they received said that they had taken central command but were struggling to hold the main gate with the arrival of Bradley. The scene at the gate was one of utter chaos. The elevator to the main level was almost completely decimated. The Briggs' tank sat in pieces at the foot of the entrance. Several other military trucks lay destroyed and aflame. Bodies of central troops were strewn about the site. The metallic stench of blood permeated the atmosphere. It was a grisly sight to behold and the two of them had to cover their faces simply to keep their lunches down.

Quickly, they vacated the scene trying, and failing, to avoid taking in anymore of it than necessary. They were met with a similar view inside the elevator. Two light machine guns sat upon tripods aimed down the staircases on either side, large piles of bullet casings next to them. Bodies were stacked up on the stairwells as if they had all been mowed down trying to take the gate. This was the work of the Briggs soldiers.

They pushed past the bodies, trying not to slip in the pools of blood that had formed. Reaching the main level, Ross and Fuery were greeted by muzzles of Briggs guns.

"Identify yourself!" a white clad soldier demanded before he was dismissed by a familiar voice.

"Hey they're on our side!" 2nd Lieutenant Vato Falman. Both Fuery and Ross were relieved to meet him here. The weapons pointed at them were lowered and everyone there visibly relaxed. Their group was rather meager. It was evident by the row of white sheets that they had some casualties.

"What are you two doing here?" He said leaving out his usual formalities.

"We've lost almost all of our connections to our troops. We're here to reestablish it and report the situation back to the radio station," Ross explained.

"Well the situation is that the central forces have surrendered to us, giving up control of the command center and…" He hesitated, "and Colonel Mustang, Major Elric, Alphonse Elric, and Izumi Curtis are all missing."

"What!" Fuery piped up for the first time. "You don't thi-"

"No I don't," Falman interrupted. That was unlike him but he didn't want Fuery to finish his sentence. If he did, Falman would have to face the prospect himself. "We have no evidence to support that. General Armstrong recently sent a search party led by Major Armstrong to go look for them."

* * *

The Major had never seen anything like it in his career. His sister had sent him to investigate this spotlight-like phenomenon, scout it for any threats, and contain it as well as to find their missing cohorts. An initial scan of all the levels down to this underground labyrinth had not revealed a single sign of them. Really the scan had left them with more questions than answers as they had discovered various laboratory-like rooms and hall filled with more of those undying soldiers. But once they had found the source of the light, it baffled everyone.

It shined up from the ground with nothing there to generate it. It swirled and gave off a feeling of static electricity, captivating everyone in the vicinity. A cluster of roots, or better yet vines, seemed to cover the entirety of the room, growing out from the source of the light.

Holding out a single hand the Major said one thing, "Hand me the radio."


End file.
